Oozing Ulcer: Herbal Cure the Medical Cultures of Nya Lödöse Reflected in Bones and Plants

The excavations at Nya Lodose (1473–1624) revealed evidence of medicinal practice from the period in three forms: healed injuries and indications of disease found as pathologies on human bones, internal use of herbal medicine found in the stomach region of burials, and evidence of cultivation and preparation of medicinal plants in gardens inside and outside the town. Indications are that medical treatments were part of everyday life of the town and that a domestic tradition of medicine, closely linked to the scholarly practices of the time, was practiced. The skeletal remains from the town cemetery bear witness to the caring of injured and ill persons, probably within the family or household. There are also indications of more advanced treatments, possibly executed by professionals such as surgeons.